


Pretty in Pink

by thalia_cinder_03



Series: All of Stucky [3]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bottom Bucky Barnes, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky is pretty, Canon Divergence - Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Domestic Avengers, Established Relationship, Fluff, Girly Bucky, Love, M/M, Protective Steve Rogers, Stucky - Freeform, femme bucky, stucky feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:22:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26625133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thalia_cinder_03/pseuds/thalia_cinder_03
Summary: Thing is, when everyone knew how Steve used to act, how he used to be, they always assumed Bucky had been the more macho one of the relationship. They assumed Steve was the little one in a more figurative way, and since they hadn’t dared leave proof of the truth, they’d never challenged that idea. Steve seemed to be fine with it, and although the idea was strange to Bucky, he didn’t want to disagree and confront their misconceptions. He guessed he was still stuck in the 40’s in a few ways.----------Bucky is secretly femme <3
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Natasha Romanov, James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov, James "Bucky" Barnes & Wanda Maximoff, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov, Wanda Maximoff & Natasha Romanov
Series: All of Stucky [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1933795
Comments: 5
Kudos: 181





	Pretty in Pink

**Author's Note:**

> Idk why I felt the need to write this, but like I definitely did. Like I absolutely needed to. This is also usually not the type of stuff I write but like idk i really liked it. It was so fluffy :)

Steve and Bucky’s relationship had become a staple of the Avengers team, ever since they had been able to get back together. They were just so consistent, everyone knew that they would come to the common room for breakfast and the two would be cuddled up on the couch, drinking their coffee, watching the city wake up, as if it ever slept. The team knew everything there was to know about the couple. Or at least so they thought. 

Thing is, when everyone knew how Steve used to act, how he used to be, they always assumed Bucky had been the more macho one of the relationship. They assumed Steve was the little one in a more figurative way, and since they hadn’t dared leave proof of the truth, they’d never challenged that idea. Steve seemed to be fine with it, and although the idea was strange to Bucky, he didn’t want to disagree and confront their misconceptions. He guessed he was still stuck in the 40’s in a few ways. 

Truth was, after Steve got the serum, he physically fit his role in their relationship a lot better. He was able to encase Bucky, able to lead him when they danced in the living room, able to hold Bucky in his lap while he played with his hair. Bucky just wasn’t ready to show that part of him just yet. 

\-------------------------

A few of the Avengers had gathered in the living room, around the TV, which was playing a show that none of them were really caught up on. It was more like the background music at this point. Sam and Steve were playing some card game, one of them occasionally yelling out in frustration. Tony was tinkering with one of his gauntlets that had been acting up and occasionally almost killing people. Clint was explaining the aerodynamics of one of his new specially made arrows to Bruce and Bucky, and while Bruce was engaged in the conversation, Bucky couldn't have been more confused. They didn’t teach rocket science back when he was in high school. 

There was a crashing sound from the direction of one of the hallways, the one with Wanda’s room. It was followed by a loud groan of frustration from the girl. 

“Wanda?” Bucky called in concern. “Everything okay?”

The only response was a loud, frustrated, “Aghhhh!”

“I’m gonna go check on her,” Bucky said, finding his way out of that confusing conversation. 

“Good idea,” Clint said, eying the hallway with apprehension. 

Bucky got up from where he had been sitting and made his way down Wanda’s hall, being wary of the fact that flying objects weren’t too uncommon when the new Avenger got angry. It was something they had all figured out quickly, and before she learned to get her powers under control, they had put the ‘duck’ protocol into place. 

“Wanda?” he asked, knocking on the door lightly, not knowing what to expect. “What’s up?”

There was the sound of something light dropping onto a desk and a sigh, before she asked “When’s Nat coming back?”

“Umm,” he took a moment to think, “some time around Tuesday. Why?”

“That’s not soon enough,” she muttered, quiet enough that Bucky wouldn’t have been able to hear her without his enhanced hearing and his ear pressed to the door. 

“I’m coming in,” he said, warning her a few seconds before he turned the knob and entered, unknowing to what the situation he was walking into would be. When he stepped in, he found a few objects hovering around Wanda, none of them moving at a fast or far enough to be dangerous though. She was standing over her desk, looking into a mirror that was hanging above it. The area around her eyes was red, but it obviously wasn’t from crying. A towel was sitting on the desk, covered in streaks of black. Bucky recognized the scene all too clearly. 

“What’re you trying to do?” he asked, nudging the door closed with his foot. 

Wanda looked at him with distaste. “I’m _ supposed _ to go on a date tonight, and I need Natasha to help me with this eyeliner, but she’s off saving the world again.” 

“Hmm…” Bucky hummed, wondering how he could help Wanda without explicitly helping her. “Have you tried looking at that Youtube thing? It has videos on like, everything.”

“Oh really?” She asked sarcastically. “Yes, of course I’ve tried Youtube. I just can’t do it.”

“Do you absolutely need it?” he asked. “You look great now.”

She gave him a scowl in response. 

Bucky picked his brain for ideas on how he could help. If Youtube wasn’t working then he obviously couldn’t just direct her on what to do. “What about those stencil things that they sell?” he asked. 

“I don’t have time,” she whined, looking skyward in frustration. “I’m supposed to leave in ten minutes and now I’m gonna have to cancel! Why are all of you guys? Why don’t we have two Natashas!”

Bucky laughed a bit at that, before sighing with defeat. Wanda already had a hard enough time making friends and finding potential dates due to the whole witch thing, he wasn’t about to let her miss out on going out if he could help it. And he could. “Alright,” he said, sticking his hand out. “Give it here.”

Wanda rolled her eyes. “Bucky, I don’t have time for you to mess up my face.”

“Wanda…” he sighed, not wanting to have to explain this to her. He just wanted to fix her makeup and go back to hearing Clint talk about his arrows.  _ Wow, _ he really shocked himself with that last bit. 

“No, I’m serious,” she argued, dropping the eyeliner and picking up her phone. “I’m just gonna cancel.” 

Bucky groaned, knowing he was probably gonna regret this. He walked over to the desk and picked up the pencil, not bothering to look into the mirror. He’s gotten used to doing this in his closet as a little kid, he didn’t need to be able to see. He drew a familiar line down his lash line, ending it with a short, precise, wing that followed the line of his bottom lid. He ran the pencil back down, completing the look he knew so well with a small extension of the wing just under his eye. He looked up towards Wanda, who had stopped typing and to watch him. She raised an eyebrow, and Bucky being Bucky wasn’t totally sure if it was in confusion or malice. 

“Woah,” she smiled, “you’re good at that.”

“I know,” Bucky joked, still extremely uncomfortable in this situation. “Can I fix yours now?”

“Oh, definitely,” she said, turning her phone off and shoving it back into the pocket of her jeans. She sat down in the desk chair, spinning once before stopping it in his direction with her eyes closed.

He knelt down slightly and brought the pencil to her eyes. After a few perfect strokes, he held her head straight just to make sure. She had two even wings, and aside from the slight redness just under her eyes, there was no evidence that anything had gone wrong. “There you go,” he said, tapping her thigh a few times in reassurance. He got up and grabbed the towel she had been using to wipe off his own eye. 

Wanda spun her chair to face the mirror, a smile spread across her face that hadn’t been there just a few minutes before. She turned her head, making silly faces as Bucky finished wiping off his eye. “How’d you get so good at this?” she asked, raising her eyebrow again, though this time he could tell it was with genuine curiosity. 

“I’m a supersoldier,” he laughed, shrugging a bit. “I’m pretty good at everything.”

“I think this is better than Nat’s,” she said, picking up a mascara tube. “I’m coming to you next time.”

He just patted her on the back. “Have fun, Wanda.” He left her room with a goofy smile plastered across his face, reminiscing his teenage years, though he wouldn’t be getting ready to go out, he’d be getting ready to stay in with Steve. 

When he arrived back in the common room, he sat down next to Steve, who had just beat Sam at their card game (Bucky still didn't know what they were playing). He laid his head down on Steve’s shoulder, nuzzling at him a bit. 

“Hey, Buck,” Steve said, wrapping his arm around Bucky’s shoulders. 

“Hi, Stevie,” he said into his shoulder. 

“Get a room,” Sam said as he finished shuffling the cards. 

“Win a game,” Steve defended. 

“Oh, you’re on Cap,” Sam threatened and he began dealing cards. 

Bucky didn’t know what it was, but he just felt happier. He would have to thank Wanda for that. 

\------------------------

“Okay, this is the last one,” Natasha said, stepping out of the store fitting room. “If you guys don’t like this one then I don’t know what I’m gonna do.” 

They had been in this store for a while, while Natasha and Wanda tried to find new clothes for some party Stark was throwing that night. They found a way to get the store owner to let them shop on their closed day, which was great because it becomes hard to shop when people are asking for photos. Steve and Bucky had come with, since they really had nothing better to do and they both agreed they’d rather come shopping than help Tony set up. They were sitting on a blue plush couch, in the centre of all the fitting rooms. 

“Well?” Natasha asked, after no one responded. 

“... I don’t like it,” Wanda said quietly. She was sitting on the floor, leaning against the couch, holding the clothes she had already picked out. “It doesn’t really suit you.”

“Ugh!” she groaned, stepping back into the fitting room and pulling the curtain closed. “Go look for more!”

They all got up and walked back down the hall that led towards the racks to look for more dresses that might suit Natasha better. Bucky headed for the corner of the store, which held more of the flowy, light coloured dresses. He knew Natasha would never wear any of the ones over here, but he knew this would be his excuse to look at them. He scanned the racks, running his hand across the tops of the hangers. 

His eyes caught sight of one dress, and he could barely take his eyes off of it. It had a flat neckline, with short sleeves just around where the arms would go. The skirt had folds, and it flowed more than the top. The material was sort of stiff, it would keep its shape, but it wasn’t like cardboard. 

Without warning, a pair of arms slowly made their way around his waist, and they wrapped around to his stomach. He had been so entranced by the dress that he hadn’t noticed Steve sneak up behind him. What an amazing assassin he was. 

“You think Nat will wear that?” Steve laughed, his voice quiet but also loud, since his lips were so close to Bucky’s ear. 

Bucky snickered at the indication. “No, definitely not.” He pushed a lot of certainty into his voice, not wanting Steve to know what he was thinking. It was useless, he knew that, Steve always knew what he was thinking. As much as he wanted to buy this dress and take it home, he hadn’t worn anything like it since the 40’s. Steve didn’t even know he had sort of put on eyeliner the other day. It wasn’t like he thought Steve wouldn’t be okay with it, he was just scared to bring it up. Why, he didn’t know. 

Like he had suspected, Steve definitely picked up on the way Bucky’s voice had changed, and the way he looked down at the dress in his hands. He pressed a light kiss to Bucky’s jaw, just under his ear. He took one of his hands off his stomach and placed it over Bucky’s, rubbing it in small, comforting circles. “Do you want to wear it?” Steve asked, keeping his voice hushed, not because he was embarrassed, but because he knew Natasha and Wanda were nearby, and he knew that Bucky didn’t know them too well yet. 

A moment passed, before Bucky answered with a nod. He leaned back towards Steve, needing to be as close to him as possible. Steve was warm, and being open about this sort of stuff always gave him shivers. 

“Okay,” Steve said, in encouragement, placing a kiss on the side of his head. “You can get whatever you want, Princess.”

Bucky almost collapsed at that last word. It was something Steve hadn’t called him since before the war, and something he didn’t know he needed to hear so bad. “I…” he tried to start speaking but his voice broke. “I…”

“Yeah?” Steve asked, trying to coax whatever he was thinking out. 

“I… I don’t really want them to see me buy it,” he managed to get out quickly, his voice barely a whisper. Drawing eyeliner on Wanda was one thing, dress shopping with her and Natasha was on a whole other level, a level he wasn’t quite yet ready for. 

“Okay,” Steve said again. “Don’t worry, I’ll get it for you.”

Bucky nodded again, his weight fully dependent on Steve at this point. “I love you, Stevie,” he murmured. 

  
  


He could feel Steve smile into his long hair. “I love you too, Buck.”

They stood there for a moment, Bucky feeling a sort of giddy that he hadn’t felt in a while. 

“Hey, lovebirds!” Natasha called from the other side of the store. “You’re supposed to be finding me a dress, and I won’t be wearing anything from over there so don’t even think about it!”

Bucky smiled and shook his head at the chaotic messes that his friends were. He dropped the dress, but he didn’t try to shake away Steve’s hand.

“Sorry, Nat!” Steve called back, before lowering his voice and turning back to Bucky. “Though you have great taste, I think we better go find something Nat will wear.”

Bucky nodded in agreement and let Steve lead him to another section of the store. They ended up with five suggestions, most of which Natasha immediately rejected. Wanda had more luck, and they made their way back to the fitting rooms again. Once they had gotten settled, and Natasha had begun to try on her picks, Steve excused himself ‘to go to the washroom’, neither woman noticing he took his backpack with him. He took just enough time for Natasha to make her decision, not a moment too soon or too late. They purchased their items and left the store, Steve and Bucky cuddling in the back seat of Natasha’s car on their way back to the tower. 

\--------------------------

Bucky was staring a hole into the bathroom mirror. He had gotten changed into the dress almost immediately after they had gotten home. They still had a few hours before Stark’s party and he didn’t know if he could wait until the next morning, knowing that it was hanging in the closet, waiting for him. But now, staring in the mirror, he was scared. 

There were changes. He didn’t look like the same person. His long hair went with the look, but it was strange to see. The scarring between his body and his metal arm was something he hadn’t thought about when he’d picked it out, but now it was all he could look at. Was it ruining the look? Would Steve realize his ‘princess’ wasn’t the same anymore. 

Something about the room didn’t feel right either. This had never left their apartment back in Brooklyn, it was something they fought to keep secret. Now, although this  _ was  _ their apartment, and they were in New York, he felt strangely exposed, as if the secret had escaped, and he didn’t know if that was good or not. Sure, people were different now, he was grateful for the fact that he could be with Steve in front of their friends and out in the real world, but were they this different? What if someone walked in? God, he had begun to spiral. 

“Buck?” There was a small knock on the door. He had locked the bathroom door when he got in, but Steve hadn’t tried the knob. “You okay?”

Bucky tried to formulate words, but they were stuck in his throat again. He didn’t know what to say. There was an overwhelming joy inside him, but it was mingling with fear. He clicked open the lock, an open invitation for Steve to come in. 

Steve took the invitation, and entered the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Bucky looked down, focusing on the faucet and not meeting Steve’s eyes, even in the mirror. Steve wrapped his arms around Bucky, reminding him of the love he felt when they were in the store. He leaned back slightly, chest caving inwards as he shoved his shoulders forward. After a minute or so, he looked up into the mirror and met Steve’s eyes. Steve smiled when he did, pressing a kiss to the side of his head. “You look beautiful, princess,” he said, and in just four words and a smile, alleviating every fear Bucky had had. 

With that, Bucky melted entirely and turned around to press his mouth to Steve’s. He was so soft, so gentle spirited, but so strong, so overpowering, and the result was entirely intoxicating. Bucky pushed his hands into his hair, Steve’s securely around his waist, holding him close. Steve tugged on Bucky’s lips with his teeth, pulling a quiet whimper out of him. He moved down his jaw line, biting down at a spot under his jaw, closer to his ear, where he knew everyone would see it, but he didn’t care. “Fuck, you’re prefect, Buck,” Steve groaned, burying his face in Bucky’s hair. He opened the door and led Bucky out of the bathroom, into their bedroom, face still pressed against Bucky. 

“I got you something,” Steve said between kisses, leaving Bucky for just a moment to grab something out of the pocket of his jacket, which was slung over a chair. He came back with a small box, which had a gold clasp. He opened it up to Bucky, and inside sat a necklace with a heart charm. It wasn’t a full heart, just the outline, and it was uneven, one bump slightly bigger than the other, as if it had been drawn. “Do you like it?”

Bucky looked back up to Steve with the biggest smile on his face. “I love it,” he whispered, pulling Steve back in for another kiss. “Put it on me?”

“Of course,” Steve said, pulling the silver chain out of the box. He tossed the box on to their bed, stood behind Bucky, and brushed his hair to the side. He draped the charm onto his chest, and fiddled with the clasp until he got it closed at the right length. He let go of the chain and wrapped his arms around Bucky again. “Perfect.” They stood there for a few seconds, savouring the moment. 

Bucky jolted back to reality when their door swung open. “Hey guys, I-” Natasha barged in, stopping when she saw them. Bucky became as small as he possibly could, unable to actually move, but the intent was there. When he came to terms with the situation, he stared at Natasha, trying to read her emotions. Was she confused? Apprehensive? Concerned? Uncertain? Did she think it was strange? 

After a few seconds, which felt like an eternity to Bucky, she spoke again. “Is that the dress you were looking at today?”

He was shocked and somewhat relieved that that was her first question. He nodded in response, knowing that if he tried to speak it would be strange and shaky and he wouldn’t get a full sentence out. 

“Oh, well, sorry for barging in,” she apologized. “I didn’t think to… whatever. You look pretty in pink.”

Bucky didn’t know how to respond, so he was lucky Steve did for him. “He most certainly does.” Bucky blushed, not able to hide his face from both of them. “What’d you need, Nat?”

“Tony wanted you guys to help him set up downstairs. I can tell him to fuck off if you want.”

Steve laughed and even Bucky chuckled a bit at her offer. “Tell him we’ll be a while,” Steve said, and even though he couldn’t see his face, Bucky was sure the bastard had winked. 

“Will do, Cap,” she said, shutting the door behind her. 

Bucky sighed, not sure how much of it was embarrassment and how much was relief. He felt Steve try to spin him around and complied.

“She’s right,” he said, looking down at Bucky, smiling with only his eyes. 

“About what?” he asked, bringing his hand up to fiddle with the charm of his necklace. He could get used to wearing it. 

“You look pretty in pink.”

\------------------------------

“I hate to say it,” Steve said, arms around Bucky, “but we were supposed to be downstairs ten minutes ago.”

Bucky groaned, but he knew that Stark would get pissed if they missed his party just to cuddle. “I guess we should get ready.”

They changed into their regular clothes, the dress ending up on a hanger in the closet, behind the millions of suits and jackets the two had for press conferences. Steve reached around Bucky’s neck to find the clasp of the necklace, before Bucky stopped him. “I’m never taking this off,” he said with a smirk. 

Steve looked at him, still a little giddy but mostly confused. “So you’re just gonna wear it all the time?”

“Is that okay with you?” he asked.

“Of course,” he said, still confused at Bucky’s change of heart, but happy that he liked the gift that much.

They joined their friends downstairs at the party, everything almost exactly the same as before, except when they were playing beer pong, just for good luck, Bucky kissed the little heart on his necklace. He, of course, won the game. 


End file.
